Absolutly Screwed Up
by M.C.E.Black
Summary: When Ichigo moves to the city, he never expected to find himself in the bed of a young woman with no recollection of how he got there. But when it's over, it's over right? I mean, in NYC, what are the chances of seeing the same girl twice? IchiRuki AU.
1. Aftershock

**Absolut-ly Screwed Up**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Bleach or any of the related titles.

**A/N:** Hello all. I know, I know, you are all probably very angry with me for starting another story while I have about five I still need to finish, but…I promise I will get to those ASAP. I just have this thing, where if I have a new idea, I need to write it before I lose it completely. This one is actually based on an RP I'm doing with Lendra-chan and I loved it, so I figured I'd work with it and turn it into an actual fanfic. So some credit goes to her, idea wise. This is the first AU story I've ever written for Bleach…or…anything really, so please forgive me if I'm new at this. It's rated M for a reason too. There will be strong language due to Ichigo's insane temper, and well...you know, typical IchiRuki-ness later on. I hope you do enjoy it!

**Chapter 1: Aftershock**

The sun reared its ugly head early that morning, shimmering through the windows of every New York City apartment it could find, waking the poor, sleep deprived, hungover citizens with no remorse at all, as if punishing them for their late night partying the night before. Although they did not have to work, for it was Sunday, the run reveled in the fact that it would wake them at an unholy hour nonetheless.

It was especially unwelcome on one particular apartment in the middle of the city, where a young man rolled over in his sleep, moaning in pain as he held a hand to his throbbing forehead. Hoping to ease the tension, he rolled onto his stomach, burying his head into the soft fabric of the pillow.

His eyes flickered open for only a second, but it was long enough to notice that there was something amiss with his surroundings. He had only just arrived in the city, and there was no chance in hell he could possibly afford the fine satin the sheets were made out of. Nor was his bedroom nearly as large as the one he was in.

A soft cough caught his attention, and as he lifted his head, he spotted a pale, delicate hand resting beside his face. With a strangled yelp, he attempted to untangle himself from the blankets, only to fall upon the floor with a deafening crash.

Thankfully, the other occupant in the bed didn't seem to notice. Raising his now bruised, still throbbing head just above the bed, he could finally make out the figure of a very young, very beautiful, and very naked, woman.

_Shit! _His mind screamed. _Oh shit! Shit, shit, shit!_

The woman didn't seem familiar at all. He had gone to the bar the night before, that he did remember. Perhaps he had somehow picked this beautiful young girl up there. But how!? How had he snapped so easily? He was never one to do things like this.

Pulling the sheets around his waist, he silently, and hastily moved about the room, searching for his missing articles of clothing, finding it strange that none of them seemed to be anywhere around.

"Mmmm…" the woman moaned softly and rolled over in her sleep, gripping the now vacant pillow next to her tightly. Ichigo held his breath as he noticed her eyes twitching, a sure sign she was going to wake up.

"What do I do?" he muttered under his breath. "What do I do?"

He couldn't leave. He wasn't about to walk through the streets of New York City in nothing but a sheet he'd stolen from some girl's apartment. Nor did he even know where he was. He hadn't made it that far into the city on his own yet, and could hardly find Central Park, even if he had a map in front of him.

Suddenly, the girl sat up, stretching her arms high above her head, before crying out loudly and placing her hand to her temple. "Owww…" she whined. "What the hell…"

The boy kept his place, still holding his breath, silently praying that the girl would fall back to sleep instantly, giving him just enough time to find some clothes and skedaddle. But the girl didn't fall back between the pillows. Instead, she stood, baring herself for all the world to see.

"Ah!" the boy yelped, turning away suddenly, turning a dark shade of red at finally seeing her full body.

The girl whipped around, grabbing her blankets suddenly to cover herself. When she spotted the boy cowering by her doorway, she screamed. Nearly dropping his own sheets, he covered his ears as best as he could, moaning in intense pain.

"Can you please, _please_, stop screaming?" he asked, hardly able to keep his eyes open enough to look at her. "I can explain." He really couldn't, but perhaps it would get her to quiet down.

"Who are you?" she yelled, backing away toward the wall. "What are you doing in my apartment? I-I'll call the police!"

"No!" the boy said quickly, stepping forward a bit, only to find that this scared her even more. "I'm…I'm not an intruder or anything…I'm not even entirely sure why I'm – "

"I've got nothing for you," she said desperately. "Nothing you'd want to steal. If you want my sheets, take them, they were a gift from my brother. But I've got nothing else." Suddenly, she seemed to notice that he too, was completely naked. "And if there's anything else you want, don't you usually wait on the side of the street instead of bursting into people's apartments?"

The boy shook his head, although it only caused it to swim, and his focus to blur in and out. "No, it's not like that…" he paused for a moment. "Well, not _entirely _like that. You see, I think…I think we…"

She began to laugh before the boy even had the chance to finish his sentence. "You're trying to tell me we had sex?" she continued laughing, as if this were some kind of hilarious joke. "Yeah, you and half the city, kid. Just check the tabloids. They'll tell you. Look," she finally stepped forward. "If you need a taxi, I'll call you a taxi. Then, go home, find yourself a good gal, and live your own life. Stop stargazing, okay? It's not healthy."

The boy began to fume. "You mean to say you think I'm some hormone-driven fan who snuck into your apartment in the middle of the night?"

"Uh…yeah," she nodded. "That's what I'm trying to say. I'm not one to fool around with city scum. Sorry…"

"Scum?" the boy had clearly had enough. "Look, I don't know what happened last night. I don't know how I ended up here. But what I do know is, that I am completely naked, I have a hangover, and you were fast asleep right next to me. That kinda hints to one thing, don't ya think?"

The girl froze, glancing back at her bed and then up at the boy in front of her, the pieces of the puzzle finally coming together, although she could hardly remember a thing either. Perhaps she had had one drink too many at the bar last night. Perhaps he had wooed her with fancy words while she was sky high. Maybe they did in fact…

"You mean we…" she couldn't believe it. She wouldn't believe it. "You're trying to tell me…we actually…"

"Slept together?" the boy supplied. "Yes, I believe we did. It's the only explanation…"

The girl stood in shock, shaking her head slowly as if it were on a hinge. "But, I…I never…this…no, it couldn't be…"

"You're acting awful calm for a girl who just realized she nailed a complete stranger," the boy said, getting a bit annoyed with the fact he was still standing there entirely naked, with no clue as to where his clothes were. "This happen often?"

The girl looked up sharply, quite offended by his last comment. "No," she replied, placing her hands on her hips. "No, I can't say it does…"

The boy turned again, finding his eyes momentarily meeting the girl's bare breasts for a second time as the blanket slipped when she had pulled her hands away. She caught herself quickly and covered back up, a faint blush darting into her cheeks as well. It was suddenly very obvious that he was no longer the only embarrassed one.

Frustrated with the half-assed answers he was getting out of her, the boy continued with his search for his missing clothing without her, starting into the next room. Maybe the night had been wilder than they thought.

"May I…" she started slowly. "May I ask your name? I mean, I don't know what I'm supposed to do in this kind of situation. I'd rather like it if my mystery man has a name. Makes it seem like we almost kind of knew each other…"

"Oh…" he looked back at her through the doorway, the blush upon his cheeks turning an even deeper shade of scarlet. "Um…Ichigo…" he told her. "Ichigo Kurosaki…I'm kinda…new in town."

She nodded. "The new guys always have to check out the bars, don't they?" she muttered, more to herself than Ichigo. "I'm Rukia," she replied. "Rukia Kuchiki. I'm a native, so to speak."

"Native…American?" Ichigo was still feeling the after effects of the alcohol from the night before.

Rukia couldn't help but laugh. "Native New Yorker…" she explained. "Means I've been here all my life…"

"Ah…" Ichigo nodded and turned back to his search. He could hardly care about this girl or her life story, unless of course she was willing to help him.

"Here," she said abruptly, chucking a pair of plaid boxers at the back of his head. "I do believe these are yours. Plaid never was my style."

Ichigo waited until Rukia had moved into the kitchen to quickly drop the sheets and pull on his boxers. There was nothing in the study from what he could tell, so he followed her into the kitchen, crawling under the table when he spotted a pair of jeans lingering beneath one of the chairs.

_How the hell did these get under here? _He asked himself. _Did she chuck them or something?_

"Jeez, it's funny…" Rukia taunted, moving around the kitchen, showing no interest in actually putting an effort into her search. The boy could walk home in his underwear for all she cared. She still didn't believe she actually slept with him. She'd need hard cold proof before she believed any of his hooey.

Then it struck her.

What if they didn't wear protection?

Opening her mouth, she had half a mind to ask him if he could remember that part of the night, but she stopped herself before she could make out the words. Asking would mean admitting that she believed him

"Fuck!" Ichigo yelled, his head cracking on the bottom of the table when she had spoken. "God dammit, what the hell…"

Rukia cringed, her head pounding once more as he yelled. "Must you be so loud?" she asked, completely forgetting about her question almost immediately.

"Yes!" he snarled through gritted teeth. "Tell me, what's so funny?" he asked bitterly, yanking on his pants and snapping her out of her sudden daze.

Rukia recollected herself quickly and looked back at him, this time grinning almost evilly. "You're having such a hard time finding your clothes. Are you sure you didn't take them off on your way here?"

Ichigo didn't respond, spotting his shirt by the sink. They certainly did seem to be all over the place, but they weren't all over the sidewalk. What kind of guy did she take him for?

"You know what's even funnier?" he asked, moving toward the door quickly once he was fully dressed. His shoes, conveniently, were nicely placed by the door right next to hers. At least they had taken the time to remove those first. "I don't see any of _your_ clothes, anywhere…"

He opened the door and started into the hallway before Rukia even had a chance to retort. She started after him quickly, stopping when she saw him bend over to pick something up from the railing on the staircase. When he turned, a tiny yellow sundress dangled from his finger. A taunting smirk danced across his lips as his eyes locked onto hers.

"Perhaps I wasn't the one who was naked before we even got here…" he snickered. "This belong to you?"

"N-No!" Rukia replied adamantly, breaking her gaze from his. "That's a horrible shade of yellow. I would never be caught dead in something like that. It must be the neighbors."

Ichigo nodded, holding the dress up in front of him for inspection. "Your right…you're certainly not big enough to fit in that. Must belong to the ten-year-old next door. Oh well."

He tossed the dress onto the welcome mat outside the apartment across the hall from hers and started down the stairs. Rukia opened her mouth to say something, anything at all, but found herself beyond words.

Frustrated and annoyed, she grabbed her sundress and stormed back into her apartment, slamming the door shut tightly behind her, only to turn back quickly and secure each and every one of the locks. Just in case he decided to come back.

**A/N:** So, how'd you like it? It's still gotta develop a little, but it's going to be interesting nonetheless. I'm really excited to get this one going. Let me know what you think, alright? Thanks you guys!


	2. New York Sour

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Bleach or any of the related titles.

**A/N:** I apologize profusely for taking so long to update this, but my life has been absolutely crazy lately, and I've been trying to get everything back on track, so I'm trying to update as often as possible. Thank you all for being so very patient. I hope you enjoy this chapter, and I'll do my best to have the next chapter up as soon as possible, I promise.

**Chapter 2: New York Sour**

Finding work in a city filled with a millions of shops and corporations shouldn't have been hard, but for Ichigo Kurosaki, the task seemed nearly impossible. Even with a map, he found himself incredibly lost as he made his way to every interview he'd scheduled, resulting in being at the very least, three or four hours late.

He stood outside the massive entrance to _Kuchiki Estate Law Firm_ for what seemed to be a good thirty minutes before actually considering walking inside. He was a bit early for his interview for the first time ever, and was more nervous than he'd ever been. After his terrible track record, he wasn't exactly positive he was going to find a job in the city.

"What are you doing Kurosaki?" he asked himself, turning away from the building all of a sudden. "This is ridiculous. You don't even stand a chance in a place like this. Go back to your little apartment and start packing. Get the hell out of this city like you planned to weeks ago…"

Most people would find it incredibly strange to see a man mumbling to himself as he walked down the street. However, in the middle of New York City, he seemed to be the sanest of them all. In fact, nobody seemed to notice him.

Stopping once more, causing several people behind him to suddenly look up to see what they'd bumped into, he turned around and headed back toward the firm. Even if it seemed to be pointless, he wasn't about to go down without a fight. What if, somewhere, in that huge building there was a cubicle with his name on it? Anything would be better than nothing!

"Okay," he said quickly, running his hand nervously through his hair, as if this were to tame it a bit. "Okay, you can do this…"

Holding his breath, he finally stepped forward and followed another man through the revolving doors. Once inside, he came to yet another sudden halt, his eyes locked onto the majestic foyer before him. He'd never seen something so incredibly and intricately decorated in his life. It was clear the Kuchikis, whoever they were, were incredibly wealthy.

"Can I help you sir?" a woman finally broke the silence.

Ichigo's focus snapped onto the secretary behind the counter. He could only assume she'd been the one who'd spoken, and stepped forward, adjusting his tie as he cleared his throat.

"S-Sorry, I was just…I was admiring the…the uh…" he was already tripping over his tongue. _Great start, Kurosaki._

"Don't worry about it," she replied pleasantly. "Everyone does that when they come in for the first time. It's how I know to ask if they need any help." She laughed politely.

Ichigo felt his cheeks grow red and he quickly avoided her gaze. "I'm here for an interview…" he managed to get out.

The woman smiled and nodded. "I had figured as much," she flipped open her scheduling book and traced her finger down the day's appointments. Several names blotted the page which caused Ichigo's stomach to turn. Who was going to pick him when they had so many options in front of them? What was going to make him so special? "You're Mr. Soloman, I'm assuming…" she said, her finger stopping at the very first name.

Ichigo shook his head, the flush in his cheeks growing brighter. "Uh…no, actually. The name's Kurosaki. Ichigo Kurosaki…" he cleared his throat uncomfortably. "I'm a bit…early…"

It didn't help his embarrassment when her fingernail continued to trail down the list finally stopping almost halfway. She laughed quietly to herself before looking up at him.

"Your interview isn't for another three hours, Mr. Kurosaki," she informed him.

He rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably. "I-I know. I'm…not from around here."

The woman laughed and nodded in understanding. Ichigo began to turn away, knowing the long wait he had ahead of him in the lobby. She stopped him suddenly, speaking once again.

"Just who is it you're supposed to be meeting with, Mr. Kurosaki?" she asked.

Ichigo turned around to face her, his eyebrows lost in his mess of orange hair. "Huh? Oh…uh…" he fished around in his pockets for the little slip of paper he'd written the man's name on. "Jushiro Ukitake…"

The woman nodded and grabbed her phone, dialing a few numbers before someone spoke on the other end of the line. "Hello Mr. Ukitake, this is Rebecca from the front desk. I-oh yes, sir. Yes, I'm fine. No, no, I'm afraid I didn't have the opportunity to grab breakfast this-Oh yes. Yes, sir. I will sir." She glanced up at Ichigo and rolled her eyes, a smile dancing across her lips. "I've got a young gentleman here who's a bit early for his interview. I was wondering if you're too busy to take him in right now. I would rather he didn't have to sit here for three hours in the lobby. Y-Yes, sir. Certainly. I will send him right up."

Smiling, the woman dropped the phone back onto the receiver and looked up at him. "Feel free to go up whenever you like. Mr. Ukitake is waiting for you."

"Thank you," he said, a sudden smile erupting on his face. With a short nod, he started toward the elevator, coming to a sudden halt. He turned around, looking embarrassed once again. "Er…I…"

"Sixth floor, third door on the left…" she said, answering his question before he even asked it.

Ichigo flushed a little, nodding again. "Thanks…"

In the elevator, Ichigo repeatedly adjusted his tie and tried to smooth out his hair in the shiny reflection of the wall. His heart was pounding harder than he'd ever felt it, knowing that this could really work out. He'd never even made it this far in his past interviews.

Making his way down the hallway, he noticed that all the doors paled in comparison to the lavish glass one he could only assume belonged to Mr. Ukitake. Holding his breath, he stepped forward and knocked gently on the door.

"C'min!" a cheerful voice sounded from inside. Ichigo was startled, having been expecting the voice to be stronger; the stereotypical voice of a businessman.

Ichigo opened the door and slowly began to enter. He noticed immediately the man behind the desk and once again was surprised. The man had a kind face curtained by long white locks of hair, though he did not appear to be very old at all. Ichigo couldn't help but wonder why the strange man looked the way he did, though it would be out of line for him to ask at such a time.

"Ah, Mr. Kurosaki, I presume!" Ukitake rose to his feet professionally, holding a hand just above his heart as he introduced himself. "I am Jushiro Ukitake. What a pleasure it is to meet you…" He jutted his hand out to take Ichigo's in a friendly shake.

"P-Pleasure," Ichigo responded, taking Ukitake's hand and nodding shortly. He tried his best to keep his tight lips turned upward, but the corners were twitching so badly from the nerves running through his body, he was afraid that he might appear quite deranged to the poor man before him.

Ukitake laughed heartily, "A man of few words, Kurosaki?" he asked jokingly, easing himself back down into his chair. "No need to be nervous. Please, take a seat…" He gestured to the chair just to Ichigo's left.

Swallowing hard, Ichigo nodded once again and gratefully lowered himself into the chair. He could feel his knee begin to shake as Ukitake stared at him. His dark eyes remained pleasant, though Ichigo had the strangest feeling he was being silently x-rayed.

"So…" Ukitake's mouth turned upward into a quirky little grin. "When can you start?"

Ichigo nearly did a double take. "Pft-What?!"

Ukitake merely smiled. "I said, 'when can you start?'"

Ichigo's jaw dropped open slightly, his eyes wide with shock. It just didn't make any sense. He had hardly even entered the offices of the other interviews he'd had, and they were even harder than the one he was enduring right this moment.

"J-Just like that?" he asked. "You're not going to ask me any other questions?"

"There's no need," Ukitake said confidently, pulling up a manila folder that had been sitting on his desk. The large letters spelling Ichigo's name in red marker appeared on the tab. "All my answers are right here," he nodded shortly. "And in front of me. I like you, Kurosaki. You're going to go far in this business, I can tell."

Ichigo didn't know what to say. He had hardly said anything to Ukitake, and he was already assuming he was perfect to work in a law firm, when in reality, he didn't know much about law just yet.

"I think we'll start you on the filing floor," Ukitake explained. "I mean, it's not much, but everyone needs to start somewhere. I, for one, think it builds character-"

"But wait!" Ichigo couldn't seem to grasp the idea that he'd been hired. "Wait if it turned out I was some kind of bum living off the street, or – or – or some kind of murderer or something? You don't do any kind of background check? Do you just give a job to any poor sap that walks through here?"

Ukitake stared at him, blinking slowly. It was clear from his expression he hadn't come across many men like Ichigo before, and even clearer that he was liking him more and more by the minute.

"Do you think I would have called you back if our records turned up anything about murder in your history?" Ukitake asked. "We do do our homework, Mr. Kurosaki, believe me." He smirked a little before continuing. "But I certainly like the way you think. You consider every possible situation and make sure that things are being done correctly. You've got potential, and I'm sure I won't be the only one to notice it."

Before Ichigo could respond, his mouth still hanging open in shock and awe, Ukitake picked up the phone and dialed a very short number. Ichigo only assumed he was contacting someone in the building.

Maybe it was security.

Maybe the whole thing had been a really good act and now he was going to be thrown out for the things he said. Maybe he'd condemned himself and now Ukitake thought he really _was_ a murderer or something!

"Yes, thank you Hanatarou. As soon as possible would be incredibly helpful. Yes, yes thank you." Ichigo only caught the tail end of Ukitake's phone conversation.

Noticing Ichigo's puzzled and concerned expression, Ukitake couldn't help but laugh. "You still look so skeptical, Mr. Kurosaki! I have just given you a job in the biggest dog-eat-dog city in the world! You should be dancing around the office singing show tunes, not staring at me like I killed someone."

Ichigo closed his gaping mouth quickly and forced as much of a smile as possible. "I-I don't know what to say…" he stammered.

"Thank you will be a good start," Ukitake suggested, still smiling.

"T-Thank you!" he managed to get out, finally able to smile genuinely as the realization of being hired had hit him. "Thank you very much, Mr. Ukitake!"

There was a sharp knock at the door and Ukitake's attention immediately shifted. He called for the person just beyond it to enter, and before Ichigo knew it, he was in the presence of a very small, clumsy man.

"I'm sorry Mr. Ukitake," he apologized as if he had taken forever to arrive at the office. "I'm sorry. I ran into someone in the hallway…"

From the state of the files in his hands, Ichigo was certain this statement was to be taken quite literally. Ukitake, however, did not seem surprised by this and merely shook his head, his smile unfading from his face.

"No reason to worry, Hanatarou," he waved his hand absently, taking the scattered files from his hands. "This here is Mr. Kurosaki…" he nodded in Ichigo's direction.

"A pleasure to meet you, Mr. Kurosaki," Hanatarou said very quickly, holding out a tiny pale hand.

Ichigo shook it though he was quite afraid of breaking it clean off from his even tinier arm. "Pleased to meet you…" he said quietly.

"He's going to be working on the third floor," Ukiatake explained, busying himself with the new files. "Mr. Kurosaki, this is Yamada Hanatarou. He'll be able to help you if you ever have any questions, and he's going to be helping you get settled in. Do you have any more questions?"

Ichigo shook his head, still dumbstruck from the morning's events. Hanatarou bowed shortly, waving a hand to allow Ichigo to pass through the door first. With a short wave, Ukitake disappeared behind his paperwork and the two were off.

"You're going to like it here, Mr. Kurosaki," the young Hanatarou continued to chatter excitedly, though Ichigo hardly seemed to be paying any attention. "Everyone around here is very nice. You'll be on a good floor. Third floor are definitely some of the nicest people you'll meet, I think. Of course there's always those few who – Oof!"

Ichigo only noticed that Hanatarou had stopped moving when his jabbering had ceased. Stopping suddenly, he turned to see the small man sprawled on the ground, hastily trying to return to his feet.

"So sorry about that…" he mumbled, brushing himself off. "So sorry. I'm terribly clumsy, I'm afraid. I've only fallen four times this morning though; it's quite the record, actually…"

Although he seemed embarrassed, he continued to smile as he led Ichigo to the third floor. A strange silence had fallen between the two of them when Hanatarou realized that Ichigo wasn't about to speak back to him.

"Here's your cubicle," he said as they finally made their way through the busied room of desks. Each one seemed occupied except for the one before them. "Sorry it's not much more than this, but everyone has to start somewhere."

"Ain't that the truth…" a voice cut in.

"Oh! G-Good morning, Mr. Abarai!" Hanatarou's back straightened immediately, his eyes growing wide as the large figure appeared before them.

Mr. Abarai was incredibly tall, and his bright red hair and tattooed eyebrows seemed quite out of place in a law firm. His face wasn't exactly what Ichigo would have called friendly either as he looked the newcomer up and down with a look of near disgust.

"Who's the new kid?" Abarai asked, jerking his chin toward Ichigo's equally towering form.

"T-This is Mr. Kurosaki, Mr. Abarai," Hanatarou said quickly, making it very clear that Mr. Abarai was someone he feared, and probably for very good reason. "He was just hired. I'm just showing him around a bit…"

Mr. Abarai nodded shortly and held out a muscled hand. "The name's Renji. I don't like any of that 'Mister' professional shit…" he explained bluntly.

Ichigo shook it gruffly. "Ichigo…" he said shortly. "The name's Ichigo…"

Hanatarou shifted his feet uncomfortably and turned his focus back to Ichigo. "I'm going to leave you now, Mr. Kurosaki. If there's anything you need, I'm sure Mr. Abarai will be able to help you. If he's not around, just call for me…o-or ask anyone around you…"

Ichigo nodded, but remained silent, his eyes locked onto the dangerous ones of Renji Abarai. Without another word, Hanatarou disappeared and Ichigo turned to his new desk, taking the seat graciously. It took him a few minutes to realize that Renji was still watching him over the side of the cubicle.

"Can I help you?" he asked, already certain he wasn't going to like this guy.

"Yeah," Renji said matter-of-factly, "Yeah, actually, you can. Listen…" he cleared his throat and brought himself to full height, as if to make himself look more terrifying. "Just because you're new around here doesn't mean you'll get away with anything. I'm head-honcho around here, and it'll do you well to remember that. You got it?"

Ichigo stared back at him, unsure of what to say. He'd never quite gotten that kind of greeting from someone before. Renji smirked and began to turn away.

"Good. We'll get along just fine…"

**A/N:** I know it's a bit long, but things are going to kick up soon, and I hope you'll all stay interested to see what's going to happen next! Thank you once again! I love you all!


	3. Black Orchid

-1**Disclaimer:** I do not own Bleach or any of the related titles.

**A/N:** Hey guys! I'm very sorry it's taken me forever and a half to update, but yes, to answer your questions, I'm back. And yes, I will actually be updating now. I have more free time than I can even handle right now, so I'm going to get back into writing these. I really like this story, despite the fact that it's AU, so I hope you guys are still interested in hearing it! Anyway, here's the next chapter! Please enjoy!

Oh, and I might have said this already, but the title IS supposed to be "Absolutly", not "absolutely". It's not spelled wrong. Absolut is a kind of vodka, and as you can already tell this story has a very strong alcohol theme, so I thought it was clever.

**Chapter 3: Black Orchid**

"I'm not drinking anything," Ichigo decided as he and his close friend Keigo entered through the dimly lit doorway of the Black Fly Lounge.

Despite it's title, the Black Fly Lounge in no way resembled what one would consider a lounge, but instead your everyday, run of the mill, bar. Located next to one of the most popular night clubs in New York City, it wasn't surprising to see a celebrity or two wander in on occasion. Keigo enjoyed retelling his Matt Damon dinner story repeatedly to the new women he met every night. It never ceased to amaze Ichigo how easily the women believed it, though every word had been completely fictional. The man Keigo claimed to have been Matt Damon looked more like Stephen Spielberg in his opinion.

"They've got our table all ready for us and everything," Keigo said loudly, taking his stool and hitting the table playfully. "Look at this. What service!"

"Don't you mean _your _table?" Ichigo pointed out. It wasn't often that Ichigo actually managed to get out with the guys. He wasn't what you'd call wealthy, or even remotely well-off, so alcohol was a very distant friend.

Keigo laughed, tossing back his brown locks as a blonde waitress passed them. His wandering eyes turned in her direction almost immediately, although he was still speaking to his friend. "That's right. You're a workin' man now. You can't come out with the boys anymore."

Ichigo didn't respond. It was partially true. Keigo only worked two days a week, hardly doing anything at all, and made more than anyone he knew, and he, Ichigo Kurosaki, had worked all week long, hardly making enough to make a dent in his rent payment.

"Not to mention what happened the last time you were here," Keigo pointed out, his grin becoming sickening as he eyed Ichigo accusingly.

He couldn't remember. It seemed like it'd been ages since he'd been there, it really could have been anything. (And anyone, seeing as Keigo probably couldn't remember much from the night either.)

"Sadie!" he yelled, recognizing the black-haired waitress who'd just appeared from behind the bar. "Get your beautiful ass back there and bring me my usual!"

Sadie rolled her eyes, but couldn't hide her smile as she hurried back behind the bar to get him his drink. Keigo flashed a smile at her before turning back to Ichigo.

"Sweet girl," he said.

Ichigo shook his head. "When are you finally going to take her out?" he asked. "You've been pushing it for quite a while."

Keigo shrugged, unwrapping a toothpick from the small glass on the center of their table. He playfully stuck it between his teeth, chewing on the end, before changing the subject. "That chick was pretty hot," he said. "You never told me what happened. You guys just disappeared."

"What?" Ichigo asked, looking thoroughly confused. He followed Keigo's gaze, only to find that he was still staring at Sadie.

"That girl," he said offhandedly. "The girl you were all over the last time we were here. You were dancing with her the whole night, and then you guys disappeared. I had to take a taxi home." His eyes snapped back onto Ichigo, his grin disappearing suddenly. "Thanks a lot for that, by the way, asshole. You better not ever do that to me again. You know how I feel about those things."

"You live in New York, get used to it," Ichigo replied coolly.

Keigo threw another toothpick at him. "Stop avoiding my question. Who was she?"

"I don't know who you're talking about," Ichigo said defiantly, looking away.

"You were dancing with that chick all night!" Keigo slammed his fist down. "Don't you dare tell me you don't remember her! You - You nailed her, didn't you?" a dangerous smile returned to his lips as his eyes grew wide. "You dirty rascal. And you didn't even tell me! I'm supposed to be your best friend!"

Ichigo's ears had turned red. He suddenly remembered who Keigo was talking about, though it didn't make the situation any less uncomfortable. In fact, he'd done his best to push the incident as far back in his mind as possible. "I don't dance, dude…" he responded, crossing his arms. "You've got me confused with one of your other drinking buddies."

Their conversation ended for a moment as the clank of glass on wood broke the tension. Sadie had arrived with Keigo's drink, though she wasn't allowed to leave so quickly.

"Hey - Hey Sadie," Keigo spoke up, "You know just about everything that goes on around here, right?"

"Yeah," she responded, smiling a little, not even noticing that Keigo hadn't arrived alone.

"Then you should remember," he nodded toward Ichigo. "You remember the last time he was here? There was a little black-haired number he was dancing with all night long. You know who she is?"

Sadie glanced over at Ichigo, before looking back at Keigo. She shrugged one of her shoulders before shaking her head. "There's a lot of them around here. Mikayla," she gestured toward a heavily veiled woman in the corner. "She gets around quite a bit. Most beautiful hair I've ever seen, though she's nowhere near as young as she looks."

"Ah, you know that's a lie," Keigo reached for the waitress, pulling her down onto his lap. "You've got the most beautiful hair around here, Sade." He grinned once again, showing off two rows of beautiful pearly whites no girl could possibly resist.

Sadie giggled, wrapping her arm around his neck. "When are you gonna take me out, Keigo?" she asked, pouting a little.

"Aw, Sadie…" he leaned back a little, holding up his hands in defeat. "I'm a busy man, you know that! When I get some free time, then I'll come rescue you, okay?"

Sadie sighed and slid off his lap. Keigo looked at Ichigo for help, but received none as he busied himself with tracing a knot in the wood of the table. Sadie finally looked over at Ichigo, pulling a small notebook from her pocket. "Can I get you something to drink?"

Ichigo glanced up a little bit, "Water's fine."

"Come on, dude!" Keigo hadn't believed he wasn't going to drink. "You've got to be kidding me!"

"You wanna ride home in a taxi again?" Ichigo shot back quickly, though the thought of playing designated driver had not been his real reason for not drinking.

Keigo froze, immediately nodding. "Sadie, you heard the man, get him his water!"

Sadie snapped her notebook shut and hurried back off toward the bar. Keigo ran a hand through his hair, looking more than relieved to have her away from them. When he opened his mouth to speak, Ichigo looked up at him, cutting him off before he had the chance to say anything.

"You started it," he said.

"I know, I know…" he said, reaching for his drink, taking a large gulp of the brownish liquid. "Where the hell is Chad?"

"Chad's coming?" Ichigo asked, looking a bit shocked. It wasn't exactly like Chad to join them for a drink. When he did, he didn't drink much, he didn't dance, he didn't flirt and he didn't exactly say anything to anyone. Though of course, it was for these traits exactly that Ichigo found Chad to be his favorite drinking partner.

"Yeah," Keigo nodded. "He was supposed to be here already actually." He looked around the dark bar, but didn't see their massive friend anywhere. He moved as if to call back to Sadie once more, but stopped short, suddenly changing his mind.

As if he'd heard them calling, the little bell above the door chimed, and the towering form of Chad Sado entered the bar. It didn't take him long to find his friends and pull up a nearby stool.

"Good of you to join us," Keigo said, clapping a hand on Chad's shoulder. "I hope you don't mind that we already ordered without you."

"That's fine," Chad responded lowly. He glanced over at Ichigo, who was once again fiddling with the knot, wondering why it was taking Sadie so long to bring him a water. He wondered if she'd tainted it with something, hoping to perhaps hook up with him, because she finally realized she'd be getting nothing from Keigo. He shuddered at the thought and made a mental note to avoid drinking the water at all costs. "How are you, Ichigo?"

"Huh?" Ichigo snapped out of his worried train of thought, hardly aware that Chad had even joined them. "Oh, hey Chad. I'm fine. How are you?"

A man of few words, Chad merely shrugged. Keigo was no longer paying attention to either of them, and had found his next target for the night.

"Hey - hey check her out," he said, leaning over the table a bit, as if to keep his discovery a secret to those around them. "The ginger. Do you think she's at least an 8?"

Ichigo shook his head, grabbing Keigo's beer from him and taking a swig of it himself. If he was going to have to put up with this all night, he was going to have to drink something to keep him sane.

"Six," Chad responded, his own eyes wandering. Aside from never acting on his observations, Chad did prove to be an excellent wingman, and had, in fact, been the one to point the black-haired girl out to Ichigo the last time he'd been there.

_God, what was her name?_ Ichigo thought, his mind traveling back to that night.

Keigo rose from his seat and disappeared into the crowd of dancing women (and a few men), making no comment as to where he was going. Chad sighed and grabbed the beer, downing what was left. Sadie returned moments later with two more, and a water for Ichigo.

"How's work?" Chad asked, finally breaking the silence.

Ichigo didn't exactly want to talk about it. He was still determine to remember the girl's name. It wasn't like he wanted to find her again, but the night was certainly a memorable one. One would think he'd be able to remember a simple name.

"It's great," he responded shortly.

_Rebecca…_

Chad nodded, unsure of what to ask next. Usually silence didn't bother him, but this was almost stifling. He pushed the beer intended for Keigo toward Ichigo, as if encouraging him to drink more in hopes to loosen his tongue.

"Sadie!" Keigo's voice sounded from somewhere near the bar. His arm was now around the redhead he'd mentioned before, another friend very close by. "Can we get a couple more down here?"

Sadie stopped in her tracks as she noticed the girl hanging off her almost-boyfriend. Fuming, she turned back to the taps and angrily filled a few more glasses. It wasn't until one of them fell to the floor and shattered that they noticed she was crying. A barman hurried to help her, hurrying her back into the kitchen. Keigo hardly seemed to notice any of this at all.

_Rachel…_

"Hey guys," he said, finally making his way back to the table. "I'd like you to meet Orihime." Keigo seemed very pleased with the woman he'd picked up. Though, of course, he should have been. The woman's face could hardly be seen from their angle behind her enormously large breasts. Ichigo couldn't help but look away, for fear of turning red again. He wasn't entirely comfortable with women like that.

"Hi boys," she said, waving at them shyly. She seemed innocent, though her body, and the way she dressed, told Ichigo a completely different story. Although he showed no attention to her at all, she appeared interested in the orange-haired friend of the man on her arm.

"This is Ichigo and Chad," Keigo said, pointing at each of them in turn. "The bastards who have been sitting here drinking my beer. What the hell?" he reached for the glass hardly touched sitting in front of Ichigo and took a great swig of it. "Oh!" he seemed to remember himself. "This is R…R…dammit, sweetheart, I've forgotten your name already."

The friend had followed them as well. Ichigo assumed Keigo had promised either himself or Chad as a consolation prize to her evening if she came over with them. He wasn't going to have any of it, however, and he was more than certain Chad wasn't interested either. Although, the girl did appear to be quite attractive. And oddly familiar…

"It's Rukia," she said, clearly not impressed with the boy her friend had picked up.

_Rukia…_

Anything Ichigo had eaten within the last twenty-four hours seemed to come up immediately as the name clicked, getting caught in his throat and causing him to sputter uncontrollably. Keigo stared at him, rather confused, as Ichigo excused himself from the table. Rukia watched after him, her eyes narrowing slightly.

"He's been in a weird mood all night, ladies, please excuse him," Keigo said, trying to cover up his friend's less-than-graceful exit.

Ichigo tore into the men's bathroom, proceeding to gag into the sink for a few minutes before regaining himself. He hadn't expected to run into her again, especially since it'd been weeks since their last encounter. What were the odds?

He splashed some ice cold water onto his face and stared into the mirror for what seemed like ages. He looked exhausted, not to mention, it looked as if he'd seen a ghost. He was shocked his hair hadn't turned white at the sign of the woman. He couldn't go back out there and face her. He knew he couldn't be anywhere near as smooth as Keigo could in the same kind of situation.

Emerging from the bathroom, Ichigo took the roundabout route to the door. He felt bad about leaving Chad behind, but he was more determined to get out of there without seeing Rukia once again. As for Keigo, he could find the darkest, smelliest taxi-cab in New York to take him home, for all Ichigo cared.

In fact, as he passed by his friend, in his attempt to reach the cool air of the early New York evening, he was certain he heard him say: "You know, I had dinner with Matt Damon here one night. I should probably give him a call. See how his puppies are doing…"

**A/N:** So there it is! The end of this chapter. I'm really excited to keep going with this story, so let me know what you guys think. I'd also like to hear what you'd like to see happen. I've got a general idea going, as well as a plotline, but I do get writer's block quite a bit, especially lately, so any suggestions would be great to have just in case something like that comes along. Or if I need to make a filler chapter. Just let me know if there's anything. I may or may not use it, so please don't get upset if I don't. I'd just like to hear what you think. Thank you all once again for being so absolutely incredible, and patient. I love you all very much!


	4. Big Red Hooter

**Disclaimer:**I do not own Bleach or any of the related titles.

**A/N:** Hello again there everyone! I'm terribly sorry for my disappearance, but I assure you I'm back for a while. I'm going to try and update this as often as possible, I promise. I've been doing pretty well with getting out the new chapters for everything. I really like this story, so I was eager to get this one going again. I hope you all are still interested and that you enjoy the next chapter.

**Chapter 4: Big Red Hooter**

"You got that file ready for me, Kurosaki?" the redheaded form of Renji loomed over the side of Ichigo's cubicle.

Ichigo jumped a little, whacking his knees on the underside of his desk, silently cursing the fact that their work stations were clearly not suitable for anyone over average height. Groaning softly, he turned his gaze up to his visitor, speaking through gritted teeth.

"No, I'm afraid it's still not ready yet…" he told him.

Renji shook his head, grinning terribly as he gave a sharp "tsk,tsk" and turned away. "Shame," he said over his shoulder. "I wish I could get away with half-assing my work all day."

He disappeared through the nearest door before Ichigo had the chance to say anything back to him. Scowling, he threw down the file in question. He'd been working on it for nearly a week, with no help at all, unlike Renji, who seemed to have more assistants than deemed necessary. Each day Renji had asked for the finished product, well aware of the answer. Ichigo had half a mind to hand over the file unfinished.

"Ignore him, Ichigo…" a small figure appeared at the entrance to his cubicle. The small girl had her hair pulled back into a tight bun and she appeared much more professional than any of the others, despite her very young age. "You're doing a fine job. He just likes to act like the head honcho around here."

Ichigo turned a bit in his chair to face her, laughing bitterly. "I think I'd figured that one out for myself on day one, Hinamori. Thank you for the support though…"

She smiled feebly and started back toward her own cubicle, which wasn't too far away. Another voice sounded shortly before she had the chance to sit down.

"Gee, I wish I could date my boss' sister and then get away with anything I want…" a stern but balding man said from the cubicle across from Ichigo's. Ikkaku Madarame leaned back in his chair, kicking his feet up on his desk, clearly deciding it was about time he took his twelfth break of the day.

"What are you talking about?" Ichigo asked, this information completely new to him.

"You haven't h-heard?" a slightly shaking voice came from behind him. Ichigo stood a little to see a small blonde man peering over his own wall at the orange-haired man. "Renji is dating the boss' daughter. T-They're like this celebrity couple or something."

"And ever since…" Hinamori didn't look up from her computer as she spoke, typing away furiously at the keys. "He's run around acting like he owns the place, when really he has little to no more power here than we do. It's not like they even have a real relationship. She never actually leaves her office."

"Mr. Kuchiki's sister works here with him?" Ichigo asked, looking confused.

"It's a family thing," Ikkaku responded, now chewing on the end of a straw "Not that he actually works here though. I haven't seen him around the office in decades."

"You haven't even worked here a single decade," Hinamori pointed out. "Nor do I think you'll make it that long, so you can't possibly say that. Mr. Kuchiki doesn't like to make very many appearances. No one's really seen him since -" she fell silent, catching herself, suddenly finding her work much more interesting than what they were discussing.

Ichigo looked at her eagerly, curious to hear why Mr. Kuchiki had gone missing. He had only heard stories about his boss, never having met him personally. He wondered, on many occasions, if they'd passed in the hallways and he'd never noticed.

"What?" Ichigo asked, his eyes dancing from one coworker to the next. Each of them were desperately trying to avoid him. The blonde man, whose name was Izuru, had even ducked back down into his cubicle, hidden from all view. "What happened?"

"His wife died," a different voice spoke up.

Ichigo turned to see a woman standing behind him he'd never seen before. A large lump formed in his throat, not only from her sudden appearance, but it was obvious this woman had much more power in the firm than he did. She was incredibly beautiful, and, although he knew it was incredibly rude and unprofessional of him, he couldn't help but stare at her rather large breasts. He felt his ears grow red and he tore away his gaze quickly. The woman smirked, understanding entirely.

"You must be new around here," she said. "I don't think I've seen you around."

"Miss Matsumoto," Hinamori spoke up, peeking out from her cubicle. "This is Ichigo Kurosaki. He was hired about a month ago."

The woman addressed as "Miss Matsumoto" didn't look at the small girl. "I believe he could speak for himself, Hinamori," she said, keeping her focus on Ichigo. "I like you, kid. You're curious and assertive. You're going to go far here, I'm sure of it."

Ichigo didn't know what to say, nor did he think he could even form words if he wanted to, due to the lump still residing in his throat. He swallowed hard, trying his best to be rid of it, failing miserably. He managed a weak and uncomfortable smile he was certain was even more painful to look at than create.

"Mr. Kuchiki's wife passed away from illness about a year ago," she explained, changing the subject back to Mr. Kuchiki's strange disappearance. "After her death, he was instructed to take care of her younger sister, though, it seems like the exact opposite seems to be happening. Nobody knows what's happened to Mr. Kuchiki, but Miss Kuchiki has been taking care of the business since his disappearance."

Ichigo frowned. He had never come across this "Miss Kuchiki" either, but their story definitely seemed saddening. He understood why the man wouldn't want to return to his work after that. He remembered how his own Father was, even years after his Mother passed away. The whole family spent many years grieving. It'd be difficult to run a company under that kind of pressure. He wondered how Miss Kuchiki still managed to do it, while handling her mourning brother-in-law.

"Anyway, you all ought to get back to work," she said, peering over at the others curiously watching the two of them. "I think that's enough gossiping for the day. I'll see you around, Mr. Kurosaki." she winked playfully and started out the same way Renji had left only minutes before.

Ikkaku laughed, nearly falling over in his chair as he noticed the still shocked look displayed across Ichigo's face.

"Is that the first time you've seen Rangiku?" he asked, tears pricking the corners of his eyes as he laughed.

Ichigo caught himself, immediately turning an even darker shade of red. He closed his mouth quickly, and adjusted his collar, finding the room to be a lot hotter than it'd been before her arrival. Ikkaku still seemed to be having trouble controlling his amusement.

"Believe me," he choked. "You're not the only one who's had that kind of reaction. She can be a little intimidating. I mean, when one of those things is the size of your head -"

"That's enough, Ikkaku!" Hinamori said, her eyes flashing in his direction. Ichigo knew his comment was crossing the line as far as work chatter went, and decided to keep his own comments about Rangiku's figure to himself. He'd certainly never seen a woman of that kind of substance before. "Miss Matsumoto is a brilliant woman. She deserves more respect than that!"

"Brilliant?" Ikkaku laughed. "Is that what you're calling it this day? I used to just say 'hot', but okay, if yours is more appropriate." He grinned widely, turning toward Ichigo as if looking for some kind of back up on the subject.

"You know she's t-taken," Izuru mentioned, suddenly rejoining in on their conversation. Everyone else seemed to be ignoring them, although Ichigo was certain they were probably more interested in what they had to say than their legal jargon. "She's seeing that l-lawyer, isn't she?"

"Ha!" Ikkaku's expression suddenly turned bitter, twisting with disgust. "Seeing? More like fucking, if you ask me."

"You don't know that," Hinamori said quickly, trying to quiet them. "No one's said that for sure. This is how rumors get started you two!"

"What's his name, again?" Ikkaku asked, turning toward Izuru, completely ignoring Hinamori altogether. "Ichimaru or something? Biggest prick I've met in a long time."

"Ikkaku…" Hinamori said warningly.

"Smart as a fucking whip though," Ikkaku glanced back at Ichigo. "Watch yourself if you ever come across him. He could sell the Queen of England a paper bag full of shit, if he wanted to. I don't think he's ever lost a case."

"You're right," Hinamori agreed, still determined to change the subject before they got in trouble. "He's a brilliant man, and Miss Matsumoto is lucky to have him, if they're even together."

"Who is she?" Ichigo asked, suddenly finding his voice again. "Miss Matsumoto? I've never seen her around here before. Is she like -"

"Matsumoto?" Ikkaku laughed a little. "No, I can't imagine you would see her around here. It's been a long time since she was a number cruncher. No, she's kind of an attorney or something now. Not entirely sure what it is. Higher than me, that's all I know, and I don't get to see her beautiful…face, as much as I'd like."

Hinamori shot him a look, knowing exactly what he meant. Ikkaku ignored her. Ichigo looked at the doorway, half-expecting her to return, hearing their entire conversation. He wasn't entirely opposed to seeing her again, he would have to get used to it someday, of course - but he hoped it wouldn't be any time soon. He'd made a fool out of himself, and she knew his name. She was bound to tell others how the new guy couldn't even control himself around her.

"Believe me, you're not the only one who's had that reaction…" Ikkaku's voice sounded in his head, reassuring him he hadn't entirely embarrassed himself. If others had done the very same, she was bound to be used to it.

If she'd had hooters like that her entire life, he was sure she'd have to be used to it!

"Are you two done with your gossiping?" Hinamori spoke up. "I swear you're worse than a couple of high school girls. We all have work to do, and especially you Ichigo, I'd advise you to finish that report before your shift ends. Renji may be a lunk-head, but he does have connections, unfortunately."

Ikkaku rolled his eyes and gave Ichigo a look as he turned back in his chair, looking over his own computer screen. She was right though, they had plenty of work to get done and they weren't going to finish anything sitting around chatting about Matsumoto's anatomy.

Ichigo didn't quite know what to think about the people he worked with yet. It was evident, however, that working there would never be dull.

**A/N:** So there it is. The next chapter should start making things a little more dangerous and interesting, so look forward to that. I also want to apologize, a little, for the title of this chapter. Haha. All the chapter titles are based off names of alcoholic beverages, even the title of the story, so I really honestly, couldn't resist with this one. It just fit. I hope someone out there was amused. Thank you all for being so patient. You're all amazing. Let me know what you think.


	5. Dusty Martini

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Bleach or any of the related titles.

**A/N:** I apologize for being the worst author ever and NEVER updating this. I'm getting back on the wagon though, and should be posting more often. You guys have been amazingly patient! I hope you're still interested in the story!

**Chapter 5: Dusty Martini**

"Mr. Kurosaki!"

Ichigo nearly yelped as he found himself smothered by something very large and very soft. Blinking open his eyes, to his horror, he realized the soft object against his face happened to be Miss Matsumoto, holding him in a crushing hug. He gasped for air, refusing to hug her back, his arms sticking out at odd angles. Ikkaku, who stood only a few feet away, laughed loudly at the sight of them.

"I'm so glad you decided to come out and join us," she said, finally letting him go. She held him at arm's length, beaming. "I thought you might be one of those shy nerdy types who never liked to party."

Ichigo didn't know what to say. He gaped at her silently, his eyes falling to Ikkaku for an answer. The man continued to laugh, too amused to change the subject. Hinamori, who seemed to arrive at just the right moment, set her hand on the tall woman's shoulder, hardly able to reach.

"Now, now, Rangiku," she said softly. "Let the boy breathe."

"You're going to love this place, man…" Ikkaku clapped Ichigo on the shoulder. "Classy, but fun. We come here every week."

Ichigo nodded, looking up at the sign on the bar they were headed into. He'd never been in this one, but the city was full of them. He couldn't possibly be familiar with every single one. It was an office thing, he supposed. Nearly everyone in the firm was to meet them there that night, which he wasn't used to. He went to bars with Keigo, but never in large groups of people. He didn't know how to act, or what he was expected to do.

"Do you dance, Mr. Kurosaki?" Rangiku asked, whirling around once they entered the bar, her black dress floating outward as she did so. Her long red hair bounced about her shoulders, tumbling down her semi-exposed back.

"Come on, Ran…" Ikkaku butt in. "We're not at the office. He's got a name."

Ichigo opened his mouth to tell her it was alright, but she spoke up, her smile growing even wider, before she got the chance.

"Alright then," she said. "Do you dance, _Ichigo_?"

Ichigo felt something radiate in the back of his knees, causing them to buckle a little. It wasn't even right for a woman this beautiful to work at a law firm. She should have been a show girl or something. They all had to be messing with him.

"N-No," he answered slowly. "I don't."

"Aw," Rangiku pouted a little. "Well, maybe we'll have to change that…"

Ichigo followed them to the bar, settling himself down in the nearest barstool. Ikkaku took the seat next to him, and Hinamori slipped into the one on the other side before Rangiku even had the chance. Rangiku, however, did not seem at all interested in sitting. She immediately dashed toward the dance floor, greeted loudly by several different men almost instantly. Ichigo shook his head and turned around, facing the bartender.

He seemed rather young, a college student perhaps, trying to make some money on the side. Only when he moved closer to them did Ichigo realize just how short the man in front of him was. It was almost amusing. His hair was bleached, almost white and spiked outward. Despite the rather relaxed feeling of the rest of the bar, he was dressed quite nicely - the pressed white button-up, and black vest combo. As any usual bartender is known to do, he had pushed his sleeves up past his elbows. His light eyes glanced along his newest customers, finally stopping on Hinamori. His mouth twitched a little, but he didn't smile. Hinamori turned red.

"Haven't seen you around here in a while," he said to her quietly.

"I've been busy…" she muttered back, not daring to look at the men seated beside her.

Ichigo raised an eyebrow, looking between the two of them, although Ikkaku seemed completely unfazed by their interaction. The bartender turned to them, looking rather unimpressed and nodded in their direction.

"What can I get for you?" he asked.

"Usual, Hitsugaya, my good man…" Ikkaku smirked at him, chewing on a toothpick as he did so.

Hitsugaya turned his attention to Ichigo, tossing a small rag over his shoulder. "And you?"

Ichigo waved his hand. "I'm all set, thanks…"

Ikkaku slapped his arm. "Don't be ridiculous, you're in a bar. In a bar, you drink. Get him one of mine…" he called to the bartender. He glanced back at Ichigo. "This'll knock you on your ass, I'm sure of it."

Hitsugaya turned around and began busying himself with the different bottles of alcohol on the shelves. Ichigo turned on his stool, looking around at the people sitting around them. It was still early, but the bar was fairly full. He wondered how many people there his coworkers knew. He couldn't recognize a face. It was a bit intimidating.

"Well, well, well…" a loud voice sounded from the darkness. "Didn't think you'd be man enough to join us."

The large form of Renji pushed Ikkaku from his seat, forcing him into the stool beyond. He faced Ichigo, his grin taunting. Ichigo only looked at him for a moment before turning back to the bartender, who'd just placed their drinks down on the counter.

"Well, I mean," Renji continued. "If Hina, here can handle it, I guess you can. Steppin' up, my friend…"

Ichigo hardly considered the man in front of him a 'friend', but if it helped him sleep at night, he'd let Renji go on thinking that way. Hitsugaya stared at the new arrival, wiping away at a brand new glass. He seemed less impressed with Renji than he did with the rest of them.

"Your other half coming in tonight, too?" he asked Renji shortly.

Renji glanced at him and his grin faded instantly. His tattooed eyebrows furrowed a bit and he shook his head. "Nah, she's staying in for the night. Got a big case to work on. She's busy."

Ikkaku laughed loudly. "Ha! Her royal highness is too good to come out with us now?"

Renji glared at him. "No," he said sharply. "She's just got a lot on her hands. Her brother's got her working double, because he says he's got more important things to do." He turned his head, spotting a group of men gathered around a large pool table. Grinning, he got up from his seat and marched over. Ikkaku opened his mouth to say something, but froze, noticing a tall blonde coming through the front door. He winked at Ichigo and slid from his stool and dashed over to greet her. Ichigo shook his head and turned back to where the bartender had been only moments before. He had disappeared down the bar to tend to other customers. Ichigo had been left with Hinamori.

"So…what's the deal with you and…" he nodded at Hitsugaya's back.

Hinamori didn't bother looking in the direction he gestured. She stared down at the bar in front of her. "I don't know what you're talking about, Mr. Kurosaki."

Ichigo knew she was hiding something. He could see it as her cheeks turned an even darker shade of red. "Come on…" he said quietly, moving a little closer to her. "There's something going on."

Hinamori shook her head, still refusing to look at him. "I don't think that's really professional, Mr. Kurosaki. Everyone else can talk about their personal lives all they want, but I prefer to keep mine a secret."

Ichigo grinned at her embarrassment, but didn't say anything. She finally peered at him, and did her best to hold back a smile. A few long silent moments passed between them before she finally sighed and shifted a little.

"There's not much to say…" she whispered. "He just helped me out of some…hot water, once upon a time, and he just likes to keep his eye on me, okay?"

Ichigo nodded, letting it go. He couldn't imagine innocent, little Hinamori getting into anything defined as "hot water," but he didn't want to push her too much. It really wasn't any of his business. Still curious about his co-workers, he glanced along the bar to see Rangiku, wrapped up completely in what looked like a much older gentleman. His hair was longer, and a shiny gray color. His eyes were shut tight as he kissed her neck, though when he pulled away, he didn't appear to open them at all.

"Who's that guy?" he asked, changing the subject.

Hinamori turned her head to see where he was pointing. The look on her face was that of someone who'd smelled something foul. She turned back quickly, shaking her head. Ichigo didn't quite understand.

"He's Rangiku's boyfriend…" she dropped her voice even lower. "He's kind of a jerk. He's a lawyer. A partner in another firm. He…He used to work with us, until the death of Mrs. Kuchiki. Then the two of them split and started their own place. Didn't want to work under Mr. Kuchiki anymore, I guess. He and Rangiku have had this…steamy romance since they were teenagers."

"How old is he?" Ichigo cringed a little. He could see them being lovers since Rangiku was a teenager, but there was no way this man was even remotely close to her in age. If she were that old, she certainly looked better than he originally thought. How she kept her figure was a secret most women would want to know, he was sure.

"Him?" she jerked her thumb over her shoulder. "I dunno. Late twenties. Early thirties. Try and ask Rangiku how old she is, and she'll like bite your head off, so I really don't know. Don't let his gray hair fool you. He's not that old."

Ichigo frowned a bit, watching the man carefully. He and Rangiku seemed to be getting hot and heavy real fast, and in public no doubt. He was used to people doing so in bars, but it had never been someone he knew. He felt embarrassed for Rangiku, although Rangiku herself looked as though she were enjoying the attention immensely.

"You'll learn fast," Hinamori said, her attention still on Ichigo. "About all the different relationships that go on in the office. It's like," she shrugged a little, finding it hard to formulate the right words. "It's like we're all the only people we know. So, we have to date within ourselves."

"Except for you…" Ichigo said playfully, glancing back at the short bartender.

Hinamori flushed, turning her eyes away. She cleared her throat, though Hitsugaya seemed completely oblivious. "That's different," she said quietly. "We're not dating. He's just a friend. And I'm…still not one to talk about inter-office relations."

Ichigo raised an eyebrow, keen to hear more, but he knew Hinamori would be tough to get such intimate details from. He searched for a sign of Ikkaku, who had disappeared with the blonde, but the bald man could not be found anywhere in the room. Hinamori turned in her chair, sighing heavily as she turned around to face the rest of the crowd.

"Kind of sad, really…" she said, shaking her head. "The people who come in here. I mean, for us it's a tradition, but even in that it's sad. Like, do people in New York have nothing better to do during the night than drink in darkened rooms and rub up against strange men and women?"

"Nope," Hitsugaya joined the conversation again, this time polishing a silver tumbler. "And I'm glad they don't, because if they didn't, I would be out of a job."

"Well, you could always find another one," Hinamori said to him over her shoulder calmly. The corners of her mouth twisted upward in a slight smile.

"Not all of us can be lawyers, Mo…" Hitsugaya shot back at him.

"I'm not a lawyer…" she replied coolly.

Hitsugaya opened his mouth to respond, but he found himself without a response, and returned to his cleaning. Hinamori allowed herself to smile, only glancing back at him for a moment. He refused to make eye contact. Ichigo nodded toward Renji, aiming his cue at the shiny black eight ball on the pool table.

"What about him?" he asked. "Dating the boss' sister. That's a little iffy, don't you think?"

Hinamori narrowed her eyes. "What do you mean?"

"I mean," Ichigo continued to watch him. "That's dangerous water. If things went bad, wouldn't it make things difficult in the office? Your boss would hate you, wouldn't he?"

"Clearly you've never met Mr. Kuchiki," Hinamori said with a polite scoff.

"What do you mean?" Ichigo asked.

"Mr. Kuchiki is a very…" she chose her words carefully. "Silent, man. He likes to be by himself, and when he's around people, he doesn't like to say much of anything. He doesn't like a lot of people to begin with. I just think he has a general mistrust of them…"

"Or he's just an arrogant asshole," Hitsugaya butt in.

Ichigo turned his attention to the bartender, who had stopped everything, suddenly leaning over the bar between them. Hinamori rounded to him, her eyebrows disappearing into the little wisps of hair dangling over her forehead. Ichigo looked between the two of them, unsure of what was going on. How did Hitsugaya know their boss?

"Hitsu," she hissed at him. "That's a horrible thing to say. He's just…proud. And after all he's been through, I don't blame him for not wanting to be around people all the time."

"Doesn't give him any excuse -" Hitsugaya rolled his eyes.

"Wait," Ichigo held up a hand to stop the two of them. "You know Mr. Kuchiki?"

Hitsugaya stared at him in silence for a while, and sighed, bowing his head a little. "Yeah, of course I do," he said. He glanced up a little, his brow furrowing. "You're not from around here are you?"

Ichigo shook his head slightly.

Hitsugaya nodded. "Figures," he brought himself back to full height. "The Kuchiki family is one of the wealthiest in New York. Not celebrity famous, but always in the tabloids for something. After his wife died, they had a huge scandal blowing through all the papers. Said she was murdered. Raped. He killed her. A million other theories. Truth is, it was just cancer." He shrugged, yanking the rag from his shoulder and dropping it onto the counter. "Nothing too exciting."

"If they're so rich and famous, then what's his sister doing with Renji?" Ichigo asked. Ichigo hadn't met many of the wealthy men in New York, but he was certain at least one of them had to be better than Renji. Or at the very least, have a better attitude.

"Renji's been there forever," Hinamori explained. "Old friend of the family and such. I honestly think Mr. Kuchiki encourages it. They seem happy, though Miss Kuchiki doesn't come out much."

"Ever," Hitsugaya corrected her.

"No, that's not true…" Hinamori shook her head. "No, she sometimes comes out with us. Sometimes she has other plans. She's a busy woman."

Hitsugaya mimicked Hinamori, and turned around, pulling a new bottle from the shelf. He proceeded to clean the neck of it with his dirty rag. Ichigo hardly had enough time to look from Hitsugaya to Hinamori before a loud giggle sounded the return of Rangiku, this time with her man-friend attached to her arm.

"Why are you guys just sitting down? You should come dance with us!" she pulled at Ichigo's sleeve with her free hand. "Come on, _Ichigo_! You dance don't you?"

"No," he said quietly. "No, I really don't."

He hesitantly looked up at the gray-haired man, avoiding his gaze as soon as they made eye contact. At least, he thought they made eye contact. It seemed as though, even when his eyes were open, they appeared to be closed. Ichigo wondered if the man were blind. Judging by the woman on his arm, he highly doubted it, but it was possible. Perhaps he did not know about the busty beauty that he'd managed to catch.

"Ichigo!" Rangiku caught herself. "This is my…friend, Gin Ichimaru." She flashed a flirty smile, batting her eyes up at the tall, thin man next to her.

"A man should be named after what he drinks, don't you think?" Gin said playfully, looking straight at (or so Ichigo thought) Ichigo. He held out his hand.

Ichigo took it reluctantly, forcing a laugh. Hinamori had fallen silent next to him, averting her eyes to the glass in front of her. She downed it rather quickly, gesturing for Hitsugaya to bring her a second. Something about Rangiku's "friend" bothered her, it was evident. Ichigo found himself half-tempted to ask her to dance, just to get the away from the risqué couple.

"What is that you're drinking there?" Gin jerked his chin in the direction of the glass in front of Ichigo.

Ichigo looked around in confusion, finally spotting the glass Hitsugaya had placed in front of him without even noticing. He frowned, looking down at it, realizing he had no idea what it was he was about to drink. Ikkaku had ordered it from him, and danced off before he could say anything else about it. Gin awaited patiently for an answer, but realized quickly Ichigo didn't feel much like talking.

"You're a strange guy, Ichigo…" Gin said, grinning widely. It made Ichigo uncomfortable. "Whatchya hidin' from us, huh?"

Deciding it was best to just go for it, Ichigo grabbed the glass and poured it down his throat. Ikkaku hadn't been kidding. Whatever Hitsugaya had put in it kicked him right in the stomach. He gasped for breath, and turned, not bothering to look at Rangiku or the ever-smiling Gin. Hinamori sucked down another large gulp of whatever it was she was drinking, only catching Ichigo out of the corner of her eye.

"Dance with me?" he offered, holding out his hand.

"Now that's what I'm talking about!" Rangiku whooped loudly, throwing her arms into the air.

Hinamori looked confused at first, but as Ichigo raised his eyebrows a little, cocking his head to the side, she seemed to get the hint. She nodded and took his hand, almost pulling him toward the tiny dirty dance floor. As they moved, Hinamori leaned her head in close to his.

"Thank you…" she muttered.

"No problem…" he replied, his voice low.

"You know," she laughed a little. "You can leave anytime you want. I wouldn't blame you."

Ichigo smiled back at her, but decided not to leave so soon. As tempting as the offer was, he felt terrible leaving her there alone, and despite their strange sexual antics, Ichigo thought it might be important to stay on his coworkers' good sides. At least for the time being. He was still the new guy after all.

**A/N: So that's that. Sorry it's a bit long, and I promise you, things are about to get interesting. Gotta have the two meet up again, don't we? It'll be fun! I hope you all enjoyed it. (Especially the image of Hitsugaya as a bartender. I was rather amused by that too.) I'll update soon! I promise! Thank you all for being amazing!**


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